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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spring — the season
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — a publisher
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a ring
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bass — low music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. key — in music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spring — a coil
  23. band — a music group
  24. press — to push

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