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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. date — the fruit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — a box
  18. present — the time now
  19. club — for golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — a division
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a music group

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