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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. race — the arms race
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rock — a stone
  13. race — humankind
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. race — a contest
  17. roll — a list
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rock — music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lean — thin
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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