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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — thin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fall — the season
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. prune — to trim

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