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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — to push
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. row — to paddle
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hand — help
  24. row — a quarrel

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