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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — newspapers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — to bend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lean — thin
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. press — to push
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — to come down

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