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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: roll · press · ruler · land · bat · can · wind · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. land — ground
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — the animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — a list
  18. row — to paddle
  19. land — a country
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — to come down
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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