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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hand — help
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rush — hurry
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — to bend
  21. snap — to click
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. press — a publisher
  24. suit — clothes

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