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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: fine · chip · wound · fork · bore · press · last · shower

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. press — a publisher
  5. last — final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — finally
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. press — to push
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — to go on

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