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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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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: date · branch · safe · spell · tear · ball · wound · press

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a dance
  9. press — newspapers
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — a division
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. date — on the calendar

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