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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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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: foot · spring · swing · press · content · branch · mark · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spring — of water
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — thin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lean — to bend
  12. swing — to play on
  13. content — happy
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — a coil
  16. press — to push
  17. swing — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. foot — part of the body

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