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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: press · bay · row · toast · lie · bound · cell · tear

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cell — a phone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cell — in biology
  19. row — a line
  20. press — to push
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — to recline
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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