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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — help
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cap — a hat
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — thin
  10. press — newspapers
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — in a road
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cap — of ice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lean — to bend

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