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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pop — music
  8. rock — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pop — to visit
  12. band — a ring
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — soda
  18. perch — the fish
  19. band — a music group
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — a coil
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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