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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — finally
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — the season
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — final
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. branch — a division
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — to rip

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