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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. last — finally
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — final
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bank — of a river
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a music group
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. band — a ring

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