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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tube — a container
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mate — a friend
  8. branch — a division
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — to push
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — a match
  21. press — newspapers
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rush — hurry

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