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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fine — high quality
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — for catching
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — a publisher
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. present — a gift
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — all right
  21. net — after costs
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. present — the time now
  24. race — a contest

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