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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — a practice
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — music
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a music group

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