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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. press — newspapers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. spell — magic
  15. press — to push
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stand — to bear
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spell — a short time

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