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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — the cause
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — to point toward
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — to drill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. face — to confront
  23. mate — to breed
  24. saw — the tool

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