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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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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: ground · fall · tube · press · pop · perch · mate · pound

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. press — a publisher
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pop — soda
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — a position
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — to push
  23. mate — to breed
  24. perch — for a bird

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