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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — to handle
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — to play on
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bank — of a river
  11. press — to push
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — not warm
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bulb — for light
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — for money

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