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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. press — to push
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — to point toward
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — rain
  14. net — in sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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