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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cap — a lid
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — a gift
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. present — there
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — to turn a key

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