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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. charge — in control
  8. can — a tin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — a tin
  15. charge — a price
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a ring
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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