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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — a subject
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. field — for sport
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — a video
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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