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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — for digging
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pass — a permit
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. dip — to sink

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