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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. land — a country
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — ground
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — to come down
  22. spell — letters
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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