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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · degree · wake · press · fine · cabinet · wind · mine

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — all right
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — to push
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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