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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 116 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — happening now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — to push
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lean — to bend
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. current — electric
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. net — after costs
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. current — of water
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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