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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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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: press · ruler · tube · march · staff · squash · branch · spell

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — magic
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. staff — a stick
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spell — a short time
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — to push
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — to crush

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