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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · press · march · row · branch · ground · arm · band

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. march — the month
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — the earth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — to bear
  24. press — newspapers

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