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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 120 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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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: current · bank · tube · bay · cell · straw · chest · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. press — to push
  8. tube — a container
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bank — for money
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bank — of a river
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bank — for money
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. chest — a box

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