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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: rock · bore · cap · press · wind · branch · pound · mouse

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. press — to push
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — newspapers
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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