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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · rule · tube · hide · wind · wake

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wind — to turn a key

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