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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. clip — a video
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pound — a weight
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. press — to push
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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