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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — a container
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. press — to push
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rash — a series

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