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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · arm · toast · present · ruler · press

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — to push
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — a gift
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — there
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. 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