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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · date · hide · press · mine · row · lean · object

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — thin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — a thing
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. object — an aim
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — the fruit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — to protest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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