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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. press — to push
  4. foot — a measure
  5. object — an aim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. clip — a video
  8. ground — crushed
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bank — of a river
  11. object — a thing
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. object — to protest

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