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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. spring — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fall — to drop
  12. can — to be able to
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fall — the season
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. spring — the season
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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