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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — in a road
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. land — ground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — a country
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bass — low music
  19. press — newspapers
  20. sharp — clever
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bass — the instrument

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