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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — to push
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — a container
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tube — the underground
  24. can — a tin

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