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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — a group
  7. court — for sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. court — of a king
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. press — to push
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. press — newspapers
  24. club — for dancing

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