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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — the season
  3. firm — steady
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — a coil
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. firm — a company
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — to push
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. press — newspapers

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