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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. press — newspapers
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — magic
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — for sport

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