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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. field — farmland
  10. press — to push
  11. object — to protest
  12. bank — of a river
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rush — hurry
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. field — for sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — for money
  24. temple — side of the head

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