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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · branch · pop · press · wake · chest

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — a trail
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — a division
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pop — soda
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pop — to visit

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