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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rest — a break
  10. root — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — of a word
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spring — of water
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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