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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 · ruler · cold · fall · wake · mug · arm · craft

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wake — a trail
  4. press — a publisher
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mug — a cup
  12. craft — boats
  13. mug — a face
  14. cold — an illness
  15. press — newspapers
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — to push
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — to drop

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