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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: dip · bore · scale · mine · content · mouse · pass · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bore — to tire
  7. content — the amount
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. scale — in music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pass — a permit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — for digging
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mouse — for a computer

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