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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: pass · current · press · field · hand · squash · scale · pound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. scale — in music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. field — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pound — a weight
  11. scale — size or range
  12. current — of water
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. current — electric
  24. field — farmland

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