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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. club — for golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. root — of a word
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. row — a line
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — a group
  24. prune — to trim

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