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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pass — a permit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bound — tied together
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. plane — a tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — of water
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — a phone
  16. press — to push
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. land — ground
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — a country

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