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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — from crying
  8. press — to push
  9. snap — to click
  10. tear — to rip
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tube — a container

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