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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bank — for money
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. branch — a division
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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