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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: press · rash · saw · trunk · bore · fork · drill · game

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. press — newspapers
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bore — to tire
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. press — to push
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — to eat with

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