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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: bore · snap · row · trunk · spell · press · rush · content

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. bore — to drill
  6. content — happy
  7. spell — a short time
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rush — hurry
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. content — the amount
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. row — a line
  18. spell — letters
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — magic
  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