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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — of water
  11. bank — of a river
  12. current — of water
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bank — for money
  24. current — electric

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