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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — in football
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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