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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: ground · hand · rest · press · perch · snap · wave · pitcher

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — crushed
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ground — a position
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rest — a break
  23. snap — to click
  24. press — to push

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