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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: current · swing · wound · press · branch · fork · pop · lie

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pop — to visit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — electric
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — in a road
  16. press — to push
  17. wound — an injury
  18. current — of water
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pop — music

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