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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. swing — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — in sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — of the year

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