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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — help
  8. mug — a face
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — a publisher
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — certain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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