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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lie — to recline
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fall — the season
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — to drop

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