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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — in sport
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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