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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to tire
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. press — newspapers
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a ring
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spring — the season

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