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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: snap · press · date · kid · hide · club · branch · mine

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mine — for digging
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — the fruit
  14. snap — to click
  15. press — newspapers
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. press — to push
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kid — child
  24. hide — animal skin

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