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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — newspapers
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. press — to push
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. drill — army training
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rock — to move gently

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