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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spring — the season
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. charge — a price
  6. can — to be able to
  7. charge — electricity
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — boats
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — a coil
  14. staff — employees
  15. press — to push
  16. charge — in control
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cell — a phone
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cell — in biology
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — of water

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