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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · toast · leaves · stick · press · pop · ground · field

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — to visit
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — a position
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — newspapers
  16. field — for sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — to push
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. wound — an injury
  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