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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. press — a publisher
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — for dogs

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