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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — a stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rock — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. press — to push
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tear — to rip
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — of ice
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a lid

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