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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — to bear
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — from a university
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. degree — temperature

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