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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — electric
  8. band — a ring
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of a king
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — to push
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. press — newspapers
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — for money

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