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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 116 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: drill · ball · wound · tube · rest · press · plane · lash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. drill — a practice
  5. press — a publisher
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — a tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — army training
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — a container
  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