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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bank — for money
  3. press — to push
  4. vault — a safe
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — a publisher
  7. clip — to cut
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — for money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bank — of a river
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. club — for golf

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