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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — letters
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — newspapers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. press — a publisher
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — in music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. key — for a lock
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — to handle
  23. prune — the fruit
  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