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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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Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — a subject

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