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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. stock — shares
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spring — of water
  15. object — an aim
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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