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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — the month
  5. press — a publisher
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. file — a document
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. perch — the fish
  17. object — to protest
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — farmland
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — for sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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