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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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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: press · tube · bank · mouse · bear · ground · fine · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — a position
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — final
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. bear — the animal

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