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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pop — music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — soda
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. press — to push
  14. deal — to handle
  15. root — of a word
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spring — the season
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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