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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 · fall · hand · straw · row · roll · bear · mouse

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — the season
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — to push
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — a publisher

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