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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — to push
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. sharp — clever
  14. object — a thing
  15. bore — to tire
  16. object — an aim
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. object — to protest
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fan — to cool the air

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