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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 · bore · mouse · field · wind · board · mate · net

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — to get on
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. field — farmland
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bore — to drill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — a friend
  24. board — a committee

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