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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. cap — a lid
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — newspapers

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