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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bore — to drill
  3. season — of the year
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. press — to push
  7. court — for sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — to tire
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. kick — with a leg

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