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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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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: cabinet · bore · wind · hand · press · prune · chair · cell

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to tire
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit 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