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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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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: board · bank · tube · race · press · patient · racket · pound

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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. patient — a sick person
  4. press — to push
  5. bank — for money
  6. board — a committee
  7. press — newspapers
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — of a river
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tube — a container
  17. race — a contest
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — to get on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. racket — for tennis

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