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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — a company
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. firm — steady
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — decided
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. press — to push

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