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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: present · band · kick · wound · safe · press · bark · season

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — to push
  7. present — a gift
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. present — there
  15. kick — in football
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a music group
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bark — to shout
  24. safe — out of danger

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