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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: drill · tube · deal · mate · press · ball · dip · spring

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. tube — the underground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a dance
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — to breed
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. press — newspapers
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — the season
  15. tube — a container
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mate — a partner
  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