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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: sharp · drill · press · tube · fall · field · bank · wound

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — the season
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — a container
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. press — a publisher
  24. sharp — clever

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