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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: press · game · bear · branch · deal · clip · stand · race

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. clip — to cut
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. race — humankind
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. game — a match
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. clip — a video
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — the animal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stand — to bear
  24. press — a publisher

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