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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — magic
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — a short time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — a container
  15. bore — to tire
  16. march — the month
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bore — gave birth

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