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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — for money
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. object — an aim
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bank — of a river
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — for digging
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. present — there
  23. object — a thing
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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