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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a ring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — the season
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. kid — child
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. kid — to tease
  24. press — newspapers

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