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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a great time
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bank — for money
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — a weight
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bank — of a river

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