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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. press — a publisher
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — magic
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tear — to rip
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — a line
  15. can — a tin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spell — a short time
  22. press — to push
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cell — in biology

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