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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — letters
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. press — newspapers
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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