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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — thin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. press — to push
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rock — music

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