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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a music group
  3. row — to paddle
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — to push
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. drill — the tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. press — newspapers

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