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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — to push
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — for digging
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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