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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · straw · press · rash · chest · branch · season · tube

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. press — a publisher
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — in sport
  8. tube — the underground
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chest — a box
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — a division
  24. tube — in a tire

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