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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. press — newspapers
  7. row — a line
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — ground
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. press — to push
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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