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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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Word bank
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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. press — to push
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. snap — to click
  6. cue — a hint
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cue — for pool
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — newspapers
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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