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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lean — thin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. club — for golf
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. press — newspapers
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for dancing
  24. arm — part of the body

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