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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. shower — rain
  6. content — the amount
  7. clip — a video
  8. season — in sport
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fork — to eat with

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