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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · branch · club · season · race · bank · press · arm

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — the arms race
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — a division
  6. press — newspapers
  7. season — of the year
  8. bank — for money
  9. race — humankind
  10. game — a match
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — for golf
  19. bank — of a river
  20. club — a group
  21. race — a contest
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a kind of play

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