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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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mark — a grade
  11. roll — a list
  12. press — to push
  13. craft — boats
  14. roll — a cake
  15. spring — of water
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. craft — a skill
  20. foot — a measure
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bank — for money
  24. spring — the season

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