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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: bore · stick · mug · wound · mark · cold · press · key

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — to drill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mug — a face
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mug — to rob

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