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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: pass · band · foot · ground · perch · cell · press · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — a publisher
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a ring
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. perch — the fish
  17. band — a music group
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — the bottom

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