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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bound — obliged
  5. root — the cause
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mug — a face
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — of a word
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. root — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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