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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: lie · ball · press · cabinet · cue · branch · chest · fan

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cue — a signal
  5. press — to push
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. press — newspapers
  22. branch — a division
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lie — an untruth

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