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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · root · wax · bank · band · press · lash · stock

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. root — of a word
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — to push
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — goods
  16. bank — for money
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wax — to grow
  23. band — a ring
  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