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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bass — the fish
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. rock — a stone
  17. press — to push
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bass — low music

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