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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: bore · pass · nail · content · jam · press · squash · wind

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. press — newspapers
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — to push
  19. content — happy
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to drill
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bore — to tire

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