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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. swing — in golf
  9. craft — a skill
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. squash — to crush
  14. press — to push
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the sport
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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