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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bore — to tire
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. board — a committee
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — part of the head
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — to confront
  21. spring — the season
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — the animal
  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