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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chest — a box
  3. bank — of a river
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — rain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — to push
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. squash — to crush
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chest — of your body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. last — final

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