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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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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: coach · row · plane · present · press · ground · firm · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. present — there
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. firm — decided
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — a tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kid — child
  17. row — a line
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — the time now
  20. press — to push
  21. ground — crushed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kid — to tease

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