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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: rush · key · content · chair · season · press · wound · branch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. press — newspapers
  7. season — of the year
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. press — to push
  15. content — happy
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — in music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chair — a leader

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