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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — a division
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — after costs
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. press — newspapers
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — of a bank

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