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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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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: firm · net · bulb · track · bank · wake · court · press

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — a song
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. firm — decided
  13. court — for sport
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — after costs
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a path
  21. firm — a company
  22. press — newspapers
  23. track — to keep track
  24. court — of law

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