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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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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: pitcher · safe · trunk · bore · mark · press · march · hand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — help
  8. march — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bore — to tire
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — newspapers
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hand — part of the body

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