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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. spring — of water
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — a subject
  12. press — to push
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bulb — for light

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