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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bore — to drill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — certain
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — of water
  13. bound — obliged
  14. press — to push
  15. bound — tied together
  16. spring — the season
  17. cold — an illness
  18. club — for golf
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ruler — a monarch

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