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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a music group
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — letters
  17. band — a ring
  18. chest — a box
  19. track — a song
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — magic

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