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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: nail · temple · press · board · drill · staff · track · mine

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — to get on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — a practice
  9. board — a committee
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — a path
  12. press — newspapers
  13. staff — a stick
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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