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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 120 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: press · key · clip · last · safe · rush · bass · branch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — newspapers
  11. key — in music
  12. clip — a video
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — to go on
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bass — the fish
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — a division
  23. last — finally
  24. key — for a lock

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