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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: press · bore · mate · bowl · last · tube · deal · root

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. last — to go on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — to breed
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. deal — to handle
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — final
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — finally
  24. root — the cause

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