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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: row · ground · press · wave · roll · snap · net · fork

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. roll — a list
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ground — a position
  5. snap — to click
  6. net — in sport
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ground — the earth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. press — to push
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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