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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: bound · saw · press · cue · can · mate · rest · field

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cue — a hint
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — farmland
  16. rest — a break
  17. press — to push
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cue — a signal
  24. field — for sport

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