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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: staff · swing · press · wake · bear · rush · march · wound

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. swing — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — hurry
  16. march — music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. staff — employees
  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