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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: wind · field · press · wound · wake · bore · nail · suit

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — a subject
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. field — for sport
  15. press — to push
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — newspapers
  20. field — farmland
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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