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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.

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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: pound · press · race · bore · present · can

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — the time now
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — to push
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. press — newspapers
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bore — to drill
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. present — there
  16. race — humankind
  17. press — a publisher
  18. race — a contest

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