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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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 — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — farmland
  18. stand — to bear
  19. press — to push
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — newspapers
  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