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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: march · wake · mug · rock · leaves · wound · field · press

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. press — newspapers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. march — music
  5. press — to push
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — a publisher
  24. march — the month

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