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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. last — to go on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. last — finally
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pit — in a race
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — of water

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