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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bank — for money
  5. mug — a face
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. press — to push
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a cup
  18. face — to confront
  19. vault — a safe
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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