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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — a thing
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — to protest
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. press — a publisher
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — hurry
  16. clip — a video
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — to push
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — newspapers

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