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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: branch · spell · stick · root · press · cap · face · bat

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cap — a lid
  7. root — of a word
  8. press — to push
  9. face — to confront
  10. cap — a hat
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — letters
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — the animal

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