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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · chair · tear · press · cap · bear

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mug — to rob
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — to push
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mug — a face
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. press — a publisher

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