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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.

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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wake — a trail
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — to push
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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