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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: bore · bear · band · press · mark · fall · wake · drill

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. press — a publisher
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — army training
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mark — a grade
  13. band — a music group
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fall — the season
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mark — a trace

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