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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: field · nail · hand · wound · last · stick · cap · press

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — to go on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — of ice
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — newspapers
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — help
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — final

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