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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: bear · sharp · perch · drill · leaves · field · rule · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — a law
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. field — a subject
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — to rule out
  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