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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in biology
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. current — electric
  21. saw — the tool
  22. press — to push
  23. current — of water
  24. saw — the tool

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