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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: tube · bank · cabinet · club · bound · fork · race · press

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. club — for golf
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — a group
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for dancing
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — humankind
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — in a tire

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