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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: pitcher · fan · spring · press · bass · row · firm · mine

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — the fish
  9. firm — steady
  10. spring — the season
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — decided
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — low music
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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