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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 120 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: bound · hand · branch · shower · mark · cap · press · key

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — a publisher
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — a hat
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — a trace
  16. key — the most important part
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. key — in music
  24. mark — a grade

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