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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. press — newspapers
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. press — to push
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. press — a publisher
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — a trail
  24. field — a subject

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