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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 124 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cold — an illness
  3. kid — child
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tube — a container
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pass — a permit
  17. press — to push
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. scale — in music

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