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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: jam · land · press · swing · bank · rash · pop · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. swing — in golf
  4. land — ground
  5. pop — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. swing — music
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — a series
  12. bank — of a river
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — a country
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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