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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — of law
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — of a river
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. press — to push
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cold — not warm
  14. press — a publisher
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. court — of a king
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — for sport
  24. march — the month

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