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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: current · row · press · snap · fall · firm · roll · dip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. dip — to sink
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. current — happening now
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. firm — a company
  16. roll — a list
  17. firm — decided
  18. press — a publisher
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. roll — a cake
  23. row — a line
  24. current — electric

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