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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · bore · trunk · pit · press · bear · ball · mine

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. press — to push
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rock — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — an explosive

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