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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — a face
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mate — a partner
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fall — the season
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — help
  20. mate — a friend
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com