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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — all right
  4. present — the time now
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a ring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bass — low music
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — final
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. last — finally
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — newspapers
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bank — for money
  24. present — there

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