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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: fall · row · wake · pitcher · jam · branch · cap · press

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — to drop
  4. press — to push
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. row — a line
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cap — of ice
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — a trail

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