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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — to wash
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. press — to push
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — crushed
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — in a tire

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