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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — to come from

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