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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — a company
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. firm — steady
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. firm — decided
  24. press — newspapers

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