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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wake — a trail
  4. row — a line
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. current — electric
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bank — for money
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — in sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bank — for money
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — happening now
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — of the year
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — to push

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