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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rock — a stone
  3. present — there
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a ring
  21. bore — to drill
  22. present — the time now
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

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