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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: pound · press · rest · fine · mate · branch · wax · file

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — a break
  4. fine — all right
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a document
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. press — to push
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rest — what's left

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