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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — the month
  10. present — a gift
  11. press — to push
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — to bear
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stand — for spectators

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