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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — a video
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — for paper
  22. club — a group
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bear — the animal

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