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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · tear · press · cold · club · cabinet · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — an illness
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cold — not warm
  7. club — a group
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — for golf
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bore — to tire
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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