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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: press · perch · object · craft · ground · mine · last · wake

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. last — finally
  7. ground — crushed
  8. craft — boats
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — a publisher
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — for digging
  14. press — to push
  15. object — a thing
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. last — final
  21. object — an aim
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. object — to protest

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