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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to click
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. press — newspapers
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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