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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 124 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pop — soda
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bank — for money
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ground — crushed
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitcher — a jug

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