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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — to push
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — a publisher
  11. can — a tin
  12. craft — a skill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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