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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — a lid
  19. press — a publisher
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cap — a hat

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