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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.

Make a worksheet

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: press · game · leaves · present · wave · wound · wake · file

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. present — a gift
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. present — the time now
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — wild animals
  13. press — a publisher
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a document
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — a trail
  21. present — there
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wound — an injury

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