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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. press — to push
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. suit — clothes
  14. press — newspapers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a ring
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a music group

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