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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chest — of your body

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