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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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 — lets stay
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — to push
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — a group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — a publisher
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bank — of a river
  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