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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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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: branch · temple · prune · dip · stick · press · lean · tear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. dip — to sink
  7. press — a publisher
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — thin
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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