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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — certain
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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