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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 124 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — a box
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — a trail
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bulb — for light

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