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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. band — a music group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — of water
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — to push
  19. band — a ring
  20. bank — for money
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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