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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. drill — the tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. press — a publisher
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. drill — army training
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bound — obliged
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bat — for baseball

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