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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — child
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. swing — music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — a publisher
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — a division
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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