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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a hint
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stock — goods
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bore — to tire

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