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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. shower — rain
  15. lean — thin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. land — ground

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