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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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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 · bass · file · firm · wind · pound · field · net

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — to push
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a tool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — a company
  15. file — a document
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — for sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bass — low music
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — a subject

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