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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 116 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: pound · bank · snap · press · wind · bass · bulb · ground

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. press — to push
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bass — the fish
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to click
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — a weight
  24. press — newspapers

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