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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ground — crushed
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spring — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — a country
  24. ground — a position

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