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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — letters
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bound — tied together
  11. toast — bread
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — to push
  19. lean — thin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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