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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 116 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: firm · spring · stem · mine · shower · board · bore · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. firm — decided
  4. press — newspapers
  5. firm — steady
  6. shower — rain
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spring — of water
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spring — the season
  19. board — a committee
  20. firm — a company
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bore — to tire
  23. board — to get on
  24. press — to push

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