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

Word bank: bay · press · bore · cell · bank · pound

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bank — of a river

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