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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a music group
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — a publisher
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — to push
  22. row — to paddle
  23. hand — help
  24. press — newspapers

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