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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: wound · track · fine · kick · lie · press · rest · mug

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — a song
  4. fine — all right
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — a path
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — newspapers

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