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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. spring — of water
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — of the year

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