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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 · plane · cap · mine · drill · toast · nail · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. plane — a tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. hand — in cards
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a lid
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. drill — a practice
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — of ice
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mine — for digging
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — help

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