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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. charge — a price
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bank — for money
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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