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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: coach · rock · bat · wind · row · prune · present · press

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — to paddle
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — the animal
  9. present — there
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rock — a stone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rock — music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. press — a publisher
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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