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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — army training
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. press — a publisher
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hand — help
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. press — to push
  21. hand — in cards
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — the animal

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