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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: roll · press · mate · fall · field · mark · ground · bound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. press — to push
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mark — a grade
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — farmland
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — for sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ground — a position

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