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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: leaves · spell · bore · game · ball · wound · press · mark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to drill
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a great time

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