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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — a division
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. branch — of a bank

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