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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: bass · bore · stem · kid · mate · press · deal · board

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. board — to get on
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — to push
  10. bass — low music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bass — the instrument

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