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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. spring — a coil
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. bore — to tire
  7. scale — size or range
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to drill
  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