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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a music group
  7. bear — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. scale — size or range
  14. press — to push
  15. field — a subject
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — for sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. press — a publisher

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