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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · current · rush · wound · nail · rest · present · press

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — to push
  12. rest — what's left
  13. present — a gift
  14. rest — a break
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — there
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. present — the time now
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — a thrill

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