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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. roll — a cake
  13. band — a ring
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. track — a song
  16. cue — for pool
  17. band — a music group
  18. lean — thin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cue — a hint
  22. press — to push
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. roll — a list

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