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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mug · stem · wound · file · press · nail · lie · present

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. present — there
  3. mug — a cup
  4. present — the time now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — a gift
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — to recline

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