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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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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. spell — letters
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — a country
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — to spend time

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