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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — to push
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — a series
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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