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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — to tire
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. plane — a tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. net — in sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — the sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — a country
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — a coil
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. plane — an aircraft

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