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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — a practice
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. date — the fruit
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. scale — in music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. press — to push
  16. bore — to tire
  17. squash — the sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. drill — the tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bore — to drill
  24. drill — army training

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