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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spring — of water
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — a match
  19. mug — a face
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a kind of play

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