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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.

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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: staff · bank · roll · chair · mug · cell · branch · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. staff — employees
  4. mug — a face
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chair — a leader
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bank — for money
  9. roll — a cake
  10. branch — a division
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. press — to push
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cell — in biology

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