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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pound — a weight
  3. last — finally
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — certain
  7. last — to go on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — thin
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — final
  24. press — to push

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