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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rest — a break
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — of water
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — thin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — a coil

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