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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: tube · march · current · press · bank · rash · land · wake

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bank — for money
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — ground
  5. wake — a trail
  6. press — newspapers
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. march — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — to push
  14. tube — a container
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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