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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. present — there
  3. last — final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — a gift
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bore — to tire
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — in sport
  17. last — finally
  18. season — of the year
  19. bore — to drill
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. season — to add flavour

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