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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: ruler · press · rush · game · bear · wound · wake · fine

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fine — all right
  8. press — to push
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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