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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — electric
  3. fine — all right
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. current — of water
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — of the year
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — to push
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. press — a publisher
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. season — to add flavour

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