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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 · cell · scale · toast · bulb · pitcher · bound · present

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. press — to push
  4. present — a gift
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. present — the time now
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — a publisher
  15. present — there
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — tied together
  18. press — newspapers
  19. toast — bread
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bound — certain
  24. bulb — of a plant

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