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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — a hat
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — to trim
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to click

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