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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. press — newspapers
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — for betting
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. press — to push
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chip — to eat

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