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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — of water
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — newspapers
  11. game — a match
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — the season
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. press — to push
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — to visit

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