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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — to go on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. suit — clothes
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — a publisher
  19. last — finally
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tear — to rip
  23. last — final
  24. tear — from crying

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