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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.

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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: wake · bear · rock · mate · press · branch · drill · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bear — the animal
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. drill — a practice
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — before a funeral

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