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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. spring — the season
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tube — the underground
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a line
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — of water
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — a container
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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