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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — to play on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fall — the season
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — to push
  24. swing — in golf

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