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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: calf · ground · scale · press · foot · mine · bore · wind

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ground — crushed
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. foot — a measure
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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