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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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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: wound · kid · firm · leaves · press · spell · shower · track

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — a path
  5. firm — steady
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spell — magic
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — a short time
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. shower — rain
  24. firm — a company

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