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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: tube · march · rush · file · bore · content · straw · press

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bore — to tire
  7. file — a document
  8. march — music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rush — hurry
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. press — to push
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a line of people
  23. press — a publisher
  24. content — videos and posts

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