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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: row · nail · bore · safe · last · degree · lean · press

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — final
  6. row — a line
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — to push
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — newspapers
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — thin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — to tire
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bore — to drill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — temperature

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