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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — to push
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. face — to confront
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. bank — of a river
  16. band — a music group
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bank — for money
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. face — to point toward

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