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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. lean — thin
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. lean — to bend
  8. press — to push
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — in music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — finally
  22. bank — for money
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. sharp — clever

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