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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. charge — a price
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. charge — electricity
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. charge — in control
  12. press — to push
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — in music
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — a leader
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bore — to tire
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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