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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · object · mug · tear · bound · bore · straw · key

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — an aim
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. press — to push
  14. mug — a cup
  15. press — newspapers
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — tied together
  21. object — a thing
  22. mug — a face
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bound — certain

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