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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — final
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bank — for money
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a path
  24. season — of the year

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