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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — to come from
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — there
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. present — a gift
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. present — the time now
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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