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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tear — to rip
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — to push
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a hat
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — for betting
  14. press — newspapers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. chip — to eat
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tear — from crying

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