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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: mark · field · game · net · press · wake · leaves · snap

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. press — a publisher
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a grade
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. field — for sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — a trail
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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