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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. row — a line
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bank — for money
  14. perch — the fish
  15. season — of the year
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — to paddle

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