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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · bowl · mark · staff · press · rock · last · swing

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — to play on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rock — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — a stone
  24. last — finally

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