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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. bank — for money
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  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