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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. bank — for money
  12. firm — a company
  13. club — for dancing
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bank — of a river
  18. degree — temperature
  19. firm — steady
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for golf
  24. firm — decided

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