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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bound — obliged
  7. press — to push
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — low music
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — a tin

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