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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spring — of water
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — a publisher
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to click
  18. squash — the sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — newspapers
  22. squash — to crush
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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