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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — farmland
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mug — a cup
  8. roll — a list
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — a country
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. land — ground
  15. field — a subject
  16. press — to push
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a music group
  20. lean — thin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lean — to bend
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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