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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pound — a weight
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. press — to push
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. dip — to dunk

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