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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. band — a ring
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a music group

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