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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: wave · file · stem · kid · nail · bound · pound · press

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bound — certain
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bound — tied together

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