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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — to push
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ruler — a monarch

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