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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lean — to bend
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — a container
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — a box
  24. cell — a phone

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