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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tube — a container
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — a country
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — a skill
  24. staff — employees

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