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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — music
  4. press — to push
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — low music
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mouse — for a computer

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