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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: press · ground · snap · wave · rush · row · wind · face

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. press — newspapers
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ground — a position
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — crushed

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