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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — for catching
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — a series
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — of a river
  24. press — to push

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