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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — a publisher
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. press — to push
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — to get on
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — newspapers

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