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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. season — of the year
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. band — a music group
  9. press — a publisher
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. face — to confront
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. band — a ring
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lean — thin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lean — to bend
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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