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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 116 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: wound · staff · spell · branch · leaves · vault · press · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — a short time
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spell — magic
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — letters
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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