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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 120 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: bore · mine · shower · wound · root · press · clip · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. shower — to wash
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — to fit
  9. press — newspapers
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. suit — in cards
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a word
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — to push

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