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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: mark · press · can · land · last · perch · bore · fine

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — finally
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mark — a trace
  6. perch — the fish
  7. press — a publisher
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — to tire
  12. can — a tin
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bore — to drill
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — all right
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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