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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — to drill
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — to shout
  19. drill — a practice
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bore — gave birth

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