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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bark — to shout
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bass — low music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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