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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: game · dip · march · foot · bank · can · lie · press

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. game — a match
  5. foot — a measure
  6. can — a tin
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. press — a publisher
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. press — to push
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — the month
  17. can — to be able to
  18. march — the month
  19. press — newspapers
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. can — a tin
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — a kind of play

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