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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — low music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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