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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: march · root · race · branch · prune · press · chair · net

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — newspapers
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. race — the arms race
  14. net — after costs
  15. chair — a leader
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — a division
  21. race — a contest
  22. net — for catching
  23. race — humankind
  24. root — of a word

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