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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. spring — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spring — a coil
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — the sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — to push
  23. spring — of water
  24. craft — a skill

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