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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — the underground
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — a container
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — a trail
  23. dip — a sauce
  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