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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bore — to tire
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hand — help
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. object — an aim
  23. bore — to drill
  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