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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: stand · wind · dip · cold · cabinet · rush · press · foot

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cold — an illness
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. press — newspapers
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — to push
  24. wind — moving air

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