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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: press · race · vault · bore · pitcher · wave · prune · fine

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to tire
  6. race — humankind
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. vault — a safe
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — to push
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. press — a publisher
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bore — gave birth
  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