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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: bear · bound · ground · field · press · straw · cue · rush

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — to push
  8. cue — for pool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — for sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cue — a signal
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. field — farmland
  23. ground — a position
  24. rush — hurry

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