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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to tire
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a document
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — a publisher
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. press — newspapers
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — to push
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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