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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a match
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — the season
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bank — for money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spring — of water
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — a horse colour

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