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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. cold — an illness
  2. press — a publisher
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — to push
  21. branch — a division
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — to tire
  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