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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — obliged
  4. craft — a skill
  5. press — to push
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — a signal
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rash — hasty
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bound — certain

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