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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. march — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stock — goods
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — a company
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — the fish
  20. firm — decided
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bass — low music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. firm — steady

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