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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 · row · drill · squash · field · press · mate · bear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mate — a friend
  3. drill — a practice
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. squash — the sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. row — a line
  13. press — a publisher
  14. drill — army training
  15. pop — soda
  16. press — to push
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — the tool

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