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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — newspapers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — to push
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — low music
  16. march — the month
  17. object — an aim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

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