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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. press — to push
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mug — to rob
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. can — to be able to
  15. branch — a division
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. file — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. capital — a city
  24. press — newspapers

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