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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — to push
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. board — a committee
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — hurry
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the fish

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