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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 116 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: leaves · kid · press · sharp · stand · cap · deal · branch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. press — to push
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — child
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — a publisher
  17. branch — a division
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stand — to bear
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stand — on your feet

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