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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bore — to drill
  3. press — to push
  4. last — finally
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — final
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — happy
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. last — to go on

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