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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — to push
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — letters
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fall — the season
  15. spell — magic
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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