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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — farmland
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — a subject
  18. press — to push
  19. bound — certain
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rock — music

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