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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mark — a grade
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bore — to tire
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a match
  8. bore — to drill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — to push
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pass — a permit
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. branch — a division
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pass — to spend time

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