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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: press · nail · current · kid · present · toast · wave · pitcher

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. press — newspapers
  14. present — there
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. kid — child
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — to tease
  19. toast — bread
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — of water

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