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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: mark · cabinet · patient · dip · wound · press · pound · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — to push
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to sink
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — letters
  24. mark — a grade

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