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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 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — all right
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. root — the cause
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — rain
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. root — of a word

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