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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — to push
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — thin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. press — newspapers
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. file — a document
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fine — high quality
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — to turn a key

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