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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — a series
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. press — newspapers
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — to push
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. branch — a division
  19. can — a tin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. can — a tin

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