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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: nail · march · pound · stem · tube · ground · press · rule

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tube — the underground
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rule — a law
  13. ground — a position
  14. pound — a weight
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — newspapers

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