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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: pop · press · roll · drill · leaves · wave · kid · wound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. press — to push
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. roll — a cake
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pop — soda
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a list
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — lets stay

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