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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: branch · squash · stock · lie · coach · mouse · press · clip

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — to push
  7. squash — the sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stock — shares
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. squash — to crush
  24. branch — a division

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