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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — ground
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — a country
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to tire
  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