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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rash — a series
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pound — a weight
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. toast — bread
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — magic
  18. land — ground
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — letters
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mine — for digging

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