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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. firm — steady
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bore — to tire
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. firm — a company
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. swing — music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — newspapers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a ring
  22. firm — decided
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a rubber band

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