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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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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 · deal · content · press · rule · jam · stem · last

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — government
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. last — final
  8. press — to push
  9. bore — to tire
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. last — finally
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — happy
  23. stem — to come from
  24. deal — to handle

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