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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
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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: arm · press · date · pass · game · straw · branch · lean

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — newspapers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — wild animals
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  24. pass — a permit

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