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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — help
  24. press — to push

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