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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spring — the season
  6. press — newspapers
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — the sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to click
  24. wind — to turn a key

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