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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 · bore · bowl · press · mouse · land · pop · spring

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — the season
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. drill — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. land — a country

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