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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: bore · club · season · can · ruler · foot · wind · press

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. club — a group
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. press — to push
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. club — for dancing
  15. press — newspapers
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bore — to tire
  24. club — for golf

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