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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — final
  7. press — to push
  8. current — electric
  9. press — newspapers
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. tear — from crying
  17. swing — music
  18. can — a tin
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stock — goods
  23. can — a tin
  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