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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · spring · deal · tear · drill · plane

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — a publisher
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — the tool
  9. press — to push
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — to rip
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. drill — army training

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