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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. roll — a list
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. band — a ring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. cold — not warm
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. press — a publisher
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spell — magic
  20. press — to push
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. band — a music group

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