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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. pitch — completely
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mate — a friend
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pitch — a sports field

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