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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 116 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: ruler · wake · drill · press · wind · pound

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. wind — to turn a key

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