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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: nail · press · perch · pound · mouse · wake · field · cell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. press — to push
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. perch — for a bird

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