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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. craft — boats
  3. press — to push
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — finally
  8. press — newspapers
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. roll — a list
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — to go on
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fan — to cool the 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