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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lean — thin
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — of water
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. race — the arms race
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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