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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: chair · wave · fork · press · track · rock · straw · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. track — a song
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rock — music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. press — to push
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — a stone
  17. track — a path
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chair — to sit on

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