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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — a law
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cell — in biology
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — a phone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — government
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bat — for baseball

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