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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. present — there
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chest — a box
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. scale — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — for weighing

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