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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — to push
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fall — the season
  13. tube — the underground
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — to tire
  16. snap — to click
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bore — to drill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. band — a music group

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