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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: can · bore · hand · fork · mine · coach · press · sharp

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hand — help
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — to tire
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — to push
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — in cards

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