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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 120 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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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: lie · press · staff · mate · drill · tear · cabinet · pound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — a stick
  10. press — to push
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — army training
  18. pound — a weight
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. press — a publisher
  23. drill — a practice
  24. press — newspapers

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