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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. face — to point toward
  3. swing — to play on
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bass — low music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. toast — bread
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — in golf
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. swing — music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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