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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: bear · drill · wake · press · field · bound · present · object

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. drill — the tool
  3. press — newspapers
  4. present — there
  5. press — a publisher
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. present — a gift
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — army training
  13. object — to protest
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. press — to push
  24. object — an aim

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