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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. press — to push
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — in sport
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spring — the season
  14. tube — a container
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spring — of water
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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