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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: net · mate · wound · safe · bear · jam · press · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. press — to push
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. press — a publisher
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — a partner
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mate — to breed
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — to put up with

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