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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. press — a publisher
  3. present — a gift
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — there
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spring — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — the time now
  20. press — to push
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — thin

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