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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — a publisher
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stock — goods
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — certain
  10. bank — for money
  11. shower — rain
  12. stock — shares
  13. row — to paddle
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — of a river
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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