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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: last · cue · pass · mine · stand · land · press · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. last — final
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — a publisher
  6. land — to come down
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. press — to push
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — a hint
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pass — a permit

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