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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: fork · fall · squash · pop · dip · press · branch · season

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — in sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pop — music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to sink
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pop — soda
  24. season — to add flavour

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