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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 · row · saw · lean · mug · cap · band · bear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — to push
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — a publisher
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cap — a hat
  12. band — a ring
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a line
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lean — thin

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