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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. vault — a safe
  15. root — of a word
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. root — the cause
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spring — of water
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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