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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: toast · net · press · wave · stick · hide · field · wind

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. toast — bread
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. toast — the most admired

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