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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — a publisher
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — of water
  10. tube — a container
  11. press — newspapers
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — ground
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. press — to push
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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