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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lean — thin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — newspapers
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — to drill
  17. club — for golf
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. press — to push
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lean — to bend
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — a group
  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