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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. press — newspapers
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — a publisher
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — a break
  24. season — in sport

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