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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. root — of a word
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. can — a tin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — the cause
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bore — gave birth

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