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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: bulb · cold · staff · present · march · arm · press · bay

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — music
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. present — there
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — to push
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. present — the time now
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — not warm
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. staff — a stick
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. present — a gift
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. arm — part of the body

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