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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ground — a position
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — low music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rush — to hurry

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