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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: swing · saw · land · rock · chip · press · foot · branch

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — newspapers
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. chip — to eat
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. swing — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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