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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.

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: press · roll · drill · bound · ball · march · present · spring

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — to push
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — the month
  8. present — a gift
  9. bound — obliged
  10. present — there
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. present — the time now
  16. ball — a dance
  17. roll — a list
  18. march — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — a publisher
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — a cake
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ball — a great time

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