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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — electric
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — happening now
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — low music
  24. press — newspapers

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