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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · press · squash · bound · arm · chip · wake · wound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — newspapers
  3. object — a thing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wake — a trail
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chip — to eat
  18. object — to protest
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bound — obliged
  23. press — a publisher
  24. arm — part of the body

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