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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · branch · kick · mate · straw · march

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — a publisher
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — a division
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — music
  9. kick — in football
  10. mate — a partner
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. press — to push
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kick — a thrill

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