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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — to push
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — the earth
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — hasty
  23. press — a publisher
  24. drill — a practice

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