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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 · mine · date · rest · field · ruler · drill · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. field — for sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rest — a break
  12. field — farmland
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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