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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: ruler · wake · press · spell · cabinet · chest · bowl · wound

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — magic
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chest — a box

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