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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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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: drill · rest · wind · bay · press · stick · wake · deal

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. press — to push
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — a break

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