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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: staff · branch · row · pound · net · press · rush · cell

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. row — a line
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — for dogs

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