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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — to push
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bore — to tire
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. shower — to wash
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. current — electric
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — rain
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. press — a publisher
  24. season — in sport

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