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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. press — a publisher
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. press — newspapers
  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