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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. press — to push
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mine — an explosive

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