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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. branch — of a bank
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a great time
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. press — to push
  14. bank — for money
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. branch — a division
  20. press — a publisher
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — belonging to me

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