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

Word bank: cell · swing · deal · branch · press · stem

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. 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. deal — an agreement
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. swing — to play on
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cell — in biology
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. press — to push
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — to come from
  17. press — a publisher
  18. 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