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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: wake · fine · bass · roll · press · coach · ground · wound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a cake
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — all right
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — a list
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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