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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 116 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. branch — a division
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — for a lock
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — thin
  23. key — in music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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