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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — for money
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mine — for digging
  6. press — to push
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — the tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bank — for money
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. drill — army training
  23. pound — a weight
  24. band — a music group

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