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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a ring
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — for money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — there
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — newspapers
  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