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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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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 · band · wound · lash · bore · bank · fork · tear

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bore — to tire
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — to drill
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. band — a ring
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bore — gave birth

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