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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: wake · march · bark · pitcher · press · toast · pop · row

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — to visit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — music
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — to paddle
  15. march — the month
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. march — the month

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