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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mark — a trace
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spring — of water
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — a grade
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — rain
  24. mark — to pay attention

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