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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 116 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: root · net · stand · press · cold · can · pound · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — for catching
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. press — to push
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — not warm
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. net — after costs
  23. root — of a word
  24. net — in sport

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