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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: present · band · pitcher · nail · bear · ground · perch · press

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — newspapers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. press — to push
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — crushed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. present — there
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. present — the time now
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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