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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. row — to paddle
  10. staff — a stick
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tube — a container
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — a tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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