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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — crushed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ground — the earth
  6. last — final
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — to go on

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