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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — for digging
  9. press — to push
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — from a university
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — with your hand

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