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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lean — thin
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. press — to push
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. press — newspapers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wound — an injury

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