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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — there
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. present — a gift
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — to push
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wind — moving air

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