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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · pit · branch · ball · spell · rule · press · sharp

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spell — magic
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kid — child
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rule — government
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rule — a law
  19. press — to push
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. sharp — with an edge

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