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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — a weight
  3. root — of a word
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — to push
  6. chair — a leader
  7. band — a ring
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — an injury

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