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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. object — to protest
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. staff — employees
  10. object — an aim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. press — to push
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. object — a thing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. file — a document

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