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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: scale · clip · game · rest · hide · staff · press · branch

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — newspapers
  6. branch — a division
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — in music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — to push
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — to cut
  19. press — a publisher
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — a break
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — for weighing

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