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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: bass · ground · press · mug · drill · bear · branch · wind

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — to push
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — a position
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — a division
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wind — to turn a key

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