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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — to rob
  8. press — to push
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a ring
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — a face

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