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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · cell · leaves · bank · wound · rest

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rest — a break
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. bank — for money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — in biology
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. 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