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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: jam · rash · press · leaves · field · march · wound · lash

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — a series
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — music
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rash — hasty

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