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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. ground — the earth
  9. perch — the fish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. march — the month
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. ground — crushed
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. track — to keep track

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