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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 116 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: band · cap · branch · key · stick · lean · fork · press

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — to bend
  12. band — a ring
  13. press — to push
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. press — a publisher
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — thin
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — of ice
  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