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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: present · chest · roll · press · band · row · snap · mouse

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — a box
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. press — a publisher
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. press — to push
  20. present — the time now
  21. press — newspapers
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. present — a gift

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