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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: fork · bat · branch · hide · capital · press · staff · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. capital — a city
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — a division
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fork — in a road
  19. press — to push
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — a publisher

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