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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: fine · wake · straw · branch · press · ball · mark · mine

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fine — all right
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mark — a grade

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