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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: face · straw · press · wound · bound · mark · file · rock

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — a publisher
  4. file — a tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rock — a stone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a trace
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bound — certain

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