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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: lean · date · press · stick · spring · fan · cap · bear

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — to push
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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