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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: bound · date · press · bank · court · ground · roll · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. court — of a king
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pop — to visit
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — of law
  12. press — newspapers
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. date — the fruit
  19. roll — a list
  20. pop — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  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