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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bore — to tire
  3. press — a publisher
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — of water
  8. board — a committee
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — farmland
  13. board — to get on
  14. press — to push
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — happening now
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. current — electric

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