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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: mouse · mine · press · wound · toast · lie · capital · mark

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. press — to push
  6. toast — bread
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mark — a trace
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — money
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mark — a grade
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mark — to pay attention

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