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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. kid — child
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mug — a face
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — in music
  16. press — to push
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — for weighing

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