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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — a face
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — to rob
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — of the year
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hand — help
  23. press — to push
  24. tear — from crying

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