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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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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — a publisher

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