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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a city
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — money
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pound — a weight
  24. branch — a division

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