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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: staff · lash · cell · bank · board · press

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bank — for money
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — to push
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — a committee
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. board — to get on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — of a river

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