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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: mug · branch · press · mine · mouse · can · roll · tear

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tear — to rip
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — a division
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — a cup
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mine — for digging

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