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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.

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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — to paddle
  3. press — to push
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. press — newspapers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bore — to drill
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. key — in music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. row — a line
  24. fork — to eat with

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