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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: press · mark · spring · ground · mouse · wound · mine · ball

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — a trace
  8. press — to push
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ground — the earth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spring — the season

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