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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — low music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — the season
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bank — for money
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. current — happening now
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — hurry
  16. current — of water
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — newspapers
  24. current — electric

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