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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. press — to push
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — employees
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — a container
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — a publisher
  24. land — to come down

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