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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — a publisher
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bound — tied together
  16. staff — a stick
  17. press — to push
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lean — thin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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