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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · race · sharp · fork · row · pop · wave · press

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. sharp — clever
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. race — humankind
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — soda
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fork — in a road
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — a contest
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. race — the arms race
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. press — newspapers

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