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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: press · cold · bank · pound · ruler · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ball — a great time
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — to push
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. ruler — for measuring

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