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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — a match
  5. land — ground
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — the underground
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  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