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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. roll — a list
  6. club — a group
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a cake
  12. club — for dancing
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — for golf
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. press — newspapers

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