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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — newspapers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — to push
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — a position
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bulb — for light

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