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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — to push
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bank — for money
  24. patient — a sick person

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