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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. mug — a face
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. race — a contest
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lean — to bend
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — the fruit
  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