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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. drill — a practice
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to tire
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — a publisher
  9. swing — music
  10. key — in music
  11. press — to push
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — to play on
  16. drill — army training
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bark — to shout
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — a video
  23. bore — to drill
  24. clip — for paper

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