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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 · press · nail · fall · content · saw · row · cell

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cell — in biology
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. content — happy
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — the amount

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