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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — to protest
  5. current — happening now
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. press — to push
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. press — newspapers
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bore — to tire
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — in a race

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