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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — temperature
  7. foot — a measure
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bank — for money
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — of a river
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. date — on the calendar
  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