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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — for money
  6. cap — a hat
  7. object — an aim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — of ice
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — a thing
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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