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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 · pound · lie · land · rush · roll · spell · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. roll — a cake
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pound — a weight
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — hurry
  19. land — a country
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — a thrill

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