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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: bulb · dip · roll · mug · march · press · wound · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — a cake
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. march — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — to push
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — a list

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