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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. press — to push
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bank — for money
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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