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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bank — for money
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — newspapers
  5. season — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — the Cold War

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