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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. present — the time now
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wound — an injury
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — there
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. present — a gift
  16. mug — a face
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to drill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — thin
  24. rock — a stone

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