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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spring — of water
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — happy
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. roll — a list
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. degree — from a university
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. press — to push

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