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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: wind · pop · snap · row · foot · racket · press · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — to push
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a line
  7. press — a publisher
  8. foot — a measure
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — to visit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — moving air
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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