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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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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 · tear · last · tube · spring · present · lie · pit

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tube — a container
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — the season
  7. press — a publisher
  8. present — the time now
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. present — a gift
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — final
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — to go on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. last — finally
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — there

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