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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — a container
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. field — a subject
  24. perch — the fish

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