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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — army training
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop

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