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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: press · bound · drill · fall · pop · wound · mark · kid

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — soda
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. kid — child
  13. press — to push
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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