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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: press · fan · ground · mark · branch · season · mouse · object

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. object — an aim
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — to protest
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — a division
  24. ground — a position

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