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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. track — a path
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. field — farmland
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. press — a publisher
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — a position
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — crushed
  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