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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: bank · clip · spring · press · wake · wind · mark · sharp

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — to push
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — the season
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — a grade

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