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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — a thing
  5. bank — of a river
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — to protest
  9. bank — for money
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bore — to drill
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — high quality
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — to push
  18. object — an aim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  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