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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. press — a publisher
  4. branch — a division
  5. spell — magic
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — child
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. press — to push
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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