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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spring — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — to push
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — a short time
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. spring — the season
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spring — a coil
  24. staff — a stick

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