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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 120 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: race · rash · season · wound · dip · current · press · fall

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — to push
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — newspapers
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — a contest
  10. current — electric
  11. season — of the year
  12. race — the arms race
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fall — the season
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — humankind
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rash — a series
  22. current — of water
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — to drop

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