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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a leader
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. craft — boats
  18. content — the amount
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tube — a container

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