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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — of water
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cap — of ice
  6. land — ground
  7. spring — the season
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — a group
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — to come down
  18. rest — a break
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. club — for golf
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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