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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. spring — the season
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. press — to push
  6. race — a contest
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. race — humankind
  11. spring — a coil
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — of water
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pound — a weight

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