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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 · mine · press · hide · spell · march · sharp · branch

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — newspapers
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — for digging
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. staff — employees
  15. press — to push
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — a stick
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spell — letters

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