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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — to push
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — of the year
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — to add flavour

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