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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chair — a leader
  9. clip — for paper
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. press — newspapers
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — a division
  19. press — a publisher
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. vault — a safe

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