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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — boats
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — magic
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — dry grass

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