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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · press · branch · lie · staff · cold · bore · race

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. press — to push
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to tire
  16. race — humankind
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — a division
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — in cards
  24. race — a contest

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