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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — a song
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — of water
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bank — for money
  15. spring — the season
  16. track — to keep track
  17. press — to push
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — to come from

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