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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — a box
  3. field — for sport
  4. press — to push
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — farmland
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — a signal
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chest — of your body

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