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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bore — to drill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spell — magic
  22. content — the amount
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. swing — music

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