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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: drill · wave · trunk · bowl · pitcher · bore · press · rule

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. drill — army training
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. press — a publisher

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