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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: field · cabinet · press · bulb · saw · dip · arm · wound

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. press — to push
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — a publisher

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