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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 · land · stock · scale · kid · press · ground · bore

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — a country
  6. kid — to tease
  7. press — to push
  8. ground — the earth
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. drill — army training
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ground — a position
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stock — shares
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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