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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · spring · fan · bound · press · wake · bank · field

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — a coil
  4. field — a subject
  5. spring — of water
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — a position
  13. field — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spring — the season
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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