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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 116 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: net · press · pit · coach · tear · staff · drill · wound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a hole
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. drill — army training
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — in a race
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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