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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — a tin
  4. press — to push
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. can — to be able to
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bulb — for light
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — final
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — finally
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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