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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. march — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — of water
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a ring

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