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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bank — of a river
  9. branch — a division
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bound — certain
  15. root — the cause
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — obliged
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — a trail
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wake — before a funeral

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