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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — the season
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cell — in biology
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spring — of water
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in a prison

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