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

Word bank: lean · fall · perch · wind · press · wave · deal · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pop — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. deal — a big deal

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