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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — a country
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — completely
  6. land — ground
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. current — of water
  12. press — newspapers
  13. land — to come down
  14. rash — a series
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — to push
  21. current — electric
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — not warm

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