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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: suit · press · kick · cold · branch · sharp · stock · cell

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cold — an illness
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — a publisher
  14. kick — in football
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. branch — a division
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. press — to push
  24. suit — to fit

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