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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — to push
  15. bore — to tire
  16. toast — bread
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — ground
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. coach — a trainer

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