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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lean — to bend
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cue — a signal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. press — a publisher
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — a leader

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