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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to drill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bore — to tire
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fork — in a road
  8. root — the cause
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. root — of a word
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — of ice
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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