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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: march · mug · bound · kid · mine · mark · press · saw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — to rob
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — tied together
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a grade
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — child

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