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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — a gift
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bore — to tire

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