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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 120 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: chip · saw · shower · face · net · wound · press · track

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chip — for betting
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. shower — rain
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — after costs
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. face — to confront
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — for catching
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. net — in sport

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