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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spring — of water
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cell — in biology
  18. can — a tin
  19. press — to push
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — a publisher
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mate — a friend

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