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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tube — a container
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — to push
  14. capital — a city
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tube — the underground
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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