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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — a division
  11. rule — a law
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rule — government
  18. fall — the season
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — to turn a key

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