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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bank — for money
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — a break
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. press — to push
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — shares
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — a soup base

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