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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. press — to push
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — letters
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. deal — a big deal

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