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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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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: wake · press · chest · pound · rock · present · row · drill

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. present — there
  4. row — a line
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chest — of your body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rock — a stone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. present — a gift
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chest — of your body
  24. present — the time now

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