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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. bound — certain
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — to push
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — a subject
  21. object — an aim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. field — farmland

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