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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: fine · craft · perch · last · press · bank · land · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. press — to push
  3. land — a country
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — final
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fine — high quality
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — the fish
  21. press — newspapers
  22. craft — a skill
  23. perch — for a bird
  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