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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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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 · fork · march · drill · wave · arm · press · lie

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — army training
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lie — to recline
  22. drill — a practice
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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