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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lean — thin
  12. capital — money
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — before a funeral

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