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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. band — a music group
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. fork — in a road
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — a box
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — the season
  24. chest — of your body

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