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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: scale · press · current · tear · bank · pitcher · leaves · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. press — to push
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. current — electric
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — from crying

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