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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spring — the season
  11. key — in music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. press — a publisher

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