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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 116 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: bank · press · tube · cabinet · rash · land · bound · prune

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — tied together
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — hasty
  12. land — ground
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. land — a country
  19. rash — a series
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bank — for money

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