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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: press · wound · lie · cabinet · spell · cold · fine · land

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. land — a country
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — not warm
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fine — all right
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — high quality
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — magic
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — to come down
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — an illness

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