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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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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 · arm · lean · content · current · jam · last · branch

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. lean — thin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. current — electric
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — finally
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — final
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — a tight spot

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