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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bore — to tire

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