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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — finally
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — an illness
  9. key — the most important part
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. band — a music group
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — to push
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — in music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — final
  23. bore — to drill
  24. arm — part of the body

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