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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. chair — a leader
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — newspapers
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — a practice
  24. prune — to trim

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