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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — of water
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. board — a committee
  8. bore — to tire
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spring — the season
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — to push
  15. mug — a face
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — thin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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