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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — a thing
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — happy
  19. mine — for digging
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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