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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. deal — to handle
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — crushed
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — tied together
  9. field — a subject
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — a trail
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — before a funeral

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