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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. press — to push
  4. bank — of a river
  5. content — the amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — child
  10. tear — to rip
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — to tease
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — happy
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to confront

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