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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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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 · stem · jam · bay · kick · drill · kid · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. press — a publisher
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kid — to tease
  14. drill — the tool
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — in football
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stem — to come from
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — to push
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. press — newspapers

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