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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 124 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — farmland
  5. band — a ring
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — magic
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — newspapers
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — a subject
  19. press — to push
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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