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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 124 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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