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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — thin
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. charge — a price
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. charge — in control
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — of a river
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — for money
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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