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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. press — newspapers
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — a country
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — of the year
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — moving air

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