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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 120 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: ball · row · wound · drill · fan · press · mouse · staff

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — a practice
  4. staff — a stick
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — a line
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — army training
  24. row — a quarrel

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