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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — child
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. current — electric
  18. bear — to put up 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