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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 124 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cell — in biology
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. press — newspapers
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — to push
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — the time now
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — a phone
  24. press — a publisher

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