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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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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: land · file · band · root · club · bank · bulb · press

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. press — a publisher
  3. land — to come down
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a document
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — for light
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. band — a music group
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. club — for golf
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. club — for dancing
  23. file — a tool
  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