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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — to bend
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — the season

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