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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — for catching
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. face — to point toward
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — after costs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to confront
  24. press — a publisher

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