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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. press — newspapers
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spell — letters
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — a committee
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — for money
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tear — to rip
  23. press — to push
  24. board — a flat piece

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