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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. press — a publisher
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — happening now
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. coach — a trainer

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