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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: ground · wake · bore · chest · press · pop · rule · cap

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — of ice
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — a position
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chest — a box
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bore — to tire
  23. press — to push
  24. bore — to drill

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