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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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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: pound · wake · press · bore · mine · plane · sharp · roll

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. press — a publisher
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wake — a trail
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bore — to tire

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