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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — to rob
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. press — to push
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — thin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mug — a face
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — newspapers
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low music

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