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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. plane — a tool
  7. press — to push
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bulb — for light
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — a container
  12. pit — in a race
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — for sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. field — farmland
  24. plane — in geometry

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