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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: drill · kid · land · board · nail · cold · can · press

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. drill — army training
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. board — to get on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cold — not warm
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. board — a committee
  24. nail — for a hammer

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