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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 120 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: mark · bowl · wind · fall · board · deal · pound · press

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — to get on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. press — to push
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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