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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kid — child
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — to push
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — a publisher

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