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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mug — a face
  4. mate — a friend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a partner
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mate — to breed

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