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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — a container
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lean — thin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spring — the season

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