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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fall — the season
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — to bend
  14. root — of a word
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lean — thin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. press — newspapers
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — before a funeral

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