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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bore — to tire
  4. press — to push
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — to drill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. land — a country
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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