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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — to come from
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. swing — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — bread
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rule — government
  24. stem — of a plant

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