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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. court — of law
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spring — of water
  9. swing — music
  10. court — of a king
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — to push
  15. court — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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