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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. staff — a stick
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — a division
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fine — all right
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — the month
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — high quality
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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