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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. plane — a tool
  9. present — there
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — a gift
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. field — for sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. press — newspapers
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — to tire
  24. can — a tin

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