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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. branch — a division
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. snap — to click
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — the earth
  17. press — to push
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rush — a thrill

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