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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 116 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cell — a phone
  4. press — newspapers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — to push
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spring — of water
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — child

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