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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: mate · scale · press · chair · branch · face · mug · chest

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — size or range
  8. press — to push
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. branch — a division
  12. press — a publisher
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — a partner
  15. face — to confront
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — a cup
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mate — a friend

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