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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — the amount
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — army training
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — a coil
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. field — farmland
  20. shower — rain
  21. spring — of water
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — happy
  24. press — to push

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