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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — a series
  16. mug — a face
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chip — for betting
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lie — to recline

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