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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — a gift
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — a phone
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — the time now
  19. board — a committee
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — a price
  24. present — there

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