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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — a publisher
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — a safe
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. can — a tin
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — a coil
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — a box
  19. spring — of water
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — for paper

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