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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lean — thin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — in football
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tear — from crying

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